That the City Council:
A.  Approve and authorize the City Manager to purchase the FARO 3D laser traffic accident reconstruction system, pursuant to the sole source provision of La Habra Municipal Code section 4.20.070(B); and,

B.  Approve an appropriation of $52,404.28 from the City's Traffic Safety Fund for this purchase.

The La Habra Police Department (LHPD) is responsible to conduct traffic accident investigations, which often involves accident scene reconstruction as part of the process to gather evidence to determine the cause and contributing factors in a traffic accident. The results of accident reconstructions are used to help determine how and why an accident occurred, who or what may have been responsible for causing or contributing to the accident, and how it might have been prevented. Traffic accident reconstruction is also crucial for gathering evidence that may be used in the prosecution of drivers who are suspected of operating vehicles while impaired, or to provide to those involved in an accident or their insurance companies if civil damages are pursued.

For the past 12 years, the LHPD has utilized the Leica FlexLine TS02 software system to reconstruct traffic accident scenes involving individuals who were killed or severely injured in traffic accidents within City limits. Due to this system's age, the Leica FlexLine TS02 technology has become obsolete and, due to equipment failure and a lack of software support, the system is no longer functional.

In order to continue to successfully reconstruct traffic accident scenes, LHPD staff have evaluated which vendors might be available to provide contemporary, current technology systems that are specifically designed to conduct traffic accident reconstruction and found, as this is a very specialized market, that there is only one primary vendor providing these systems. The FARO 3D system was found to be the only one with advanced technologies specifically designed for law enforcement traffic accident reconstruction. FARO Technologies, Inc. is a direct seller of their proprietary system and support services.

Unlike other GIS or general street mapping systems on the market, the FARO system has built a mapping system that is specified designed for traffic accident reconstruction and is the only mapping system that has been given permission by Google Maps to integrate their proprietary maps as part of the system programming. This feature allows traffic investigators to obtain a precise reconstruction of an accident scene utilizing actual street level mapping.  Furthermore, the FARO system is noted for its accuracy and has been used successfully in the prosecution of criminal cases.
 
The FARO system is able to integrate data extracted from vehicle Event Data Recorders (EDR), which is then used to generate live animation of the moments immediately prior to, during and after the time of a collision.  EDRs are devices installed all new and most older model vehicles that record technical vehicle and occupant information before, during, and after an accident. Among other data, EDRs record pre-accident vehicle dynamics and system status; driver inputs such as speed, acceleration, and braking; seat belt restraint usage and airbag deployment; and post-crash data such as the activation of an automatic collision notification systems.

The FARO system utilizes 3D measurement and imaging technology which allows for high precision 3D scene capture, which can be used to reconstruct traffic accident scenes. This system is being utilized by a growing number of law enforcement agencies to conduct traffic accident investigations and reconstruction, and this type of digital technology has become common place in the justice system and is becoming expected by prosecutors when significant traffic accident cases are brought to trial.

As well as being more accurate in mapping capabilities than the obsolete Leica FlexLine TS02 system, the FARO system is faster, allowing traffic investigators to completely map and reconstruct traffic accident scenes, often in less than an hour, as compared to the Leica FlexLine TS02, which often took four to five hours. This helps police departments quickly and efficiently conduct a comprehensive investigation, allowing the impacted streets to be reopened to traffic more quickly.  Several law enforcement agencies in Orange County, including the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Anaheim Police Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Newport Beach Police Department, and Irvine Police Department, currently utilize the FARO system and have had reported significant success using the system.

The proposed sole source purchase of this equipment includes a one-year maintenance agreement, on-site training, and all associated hardware and software. The FARO system is expected to significantly improve the LHPD traffic investigation capabilities and be more efficient in the amount of time spent conducting these types of investigations.

If approved, the cost to purchase the FARO system is $52,404.28. The Traffic Safety Fund currently has an available, unencumbered fund balance of $181,448, which is sufficient to fully fund the cost of this proposed purchase.